(no subject)

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor blinks at the barroom, which in the time since he last visited has become covered in small plastic blocks and similar accoutrements. Since it doesn't seem to be bothering anybody -- and anyway, he remembers this occurring some time ago too -- he shrugs amicably and makes his way over to Bar.

Where he receives, along with his requested beer, a screen. It contains four options: what looks to be a female-bodied version of himself, a large golden cat, a gleaming golden creature a little like a Destroyer, and a large dog covered in golden fur. (There's a theme, yeah.) Also, of course, an explanatory paragraph or two.

Thor regards them with amusement. "Why not?" he says. "It seems an entertaining custom."

He rejects the dog immediately; the others take a bit more thought. However, soon enough he decides. (Thor isn't a man given to long deliberation.) "A moment," he says, and deposits Mjölnir safely in an out-of-the-way corner. Then he drains the rest of his beer and presses a selection.

There is now a rather shiny lioness in the middle of the bar. It seemed fun!

[OOC: Going to bed, but I'll pick up these slowtimes in the morning!]

Comments

[cutting_edgex23]

X is watching the lioness from several feet away.

Hello?

[mjolnir_retriever]

He* stands still for a moment, except for the twitching tip of his tail. New senses take a little bit of adjustment!

Not a ton, though. This is not totally unprecedented in Thor's life, even if the lioness shape is a new one.

When he turns his head towards X, it's with a genial flirt of the tail, and his ears pricked cheerfully forward. The lioness opens his mouth and --

well, it's a low leonine rumble, but all the same it sounds like "Hello, my friend." The Allspeech is not limited to a humanoid voicebox, at least once you've learned the trick of the mental shift involved.


*Yes, the lioness's body is female. Thor remains male, and that's how he (and Asgard in general) assign pronouns, so.

[cutting_edgex23]

"You are much furrier," is X's observation, once she recognizes the cadence of Thor's speech.

(It doesn't take much.)

"On places that are not your face. Now."

She's just saying.

[mjolnir_retriever]

The lioness snorts, and his tail quirks in amusement.

"Yes. That's the nature of this shapechange."

He remains very shiny. Maybe this lioness uses Pantene.

"Are you not participating in the holiday?"

No skin off his nose, either way; he's just curious.

[cutting_edgex23]

"I build things," X allows. "With the blocks."

Her gaze darts away from Thor's, just for a second. Then it returns.

"It was hard. Learning how to be a person."

A pause.

"I will not give that up."

[nerves_of_ice]

There's the soft sound of a Russian curse, barely audible.

He shifts on his barstool, turning to face the leonine beast... just in case.

[mjolnir_retriever]

The leonine beast is greeting him with a distinctly amused look.

"Good evening," it says.

Well. It rumbles a large cat noise, but somehow Good evening will be heard simultaneously, all the same.

[nerves_of_ice]

"So you are celebrating then," he says, dryly. "I wasn't quite sure. Good evening."

[mjolnir_retriever]

"It seems an interesting custom."

And one this particular patron is entirely at ease with, apparently.

"I am Thor Odinson." With amusement, "Normally I'm taller."

Hasn't he met this guy before? Bucky Barnes -- the face is distinct, and the style of clothing similar enough. (As in, you know, it's generally from European-ish cultures of 20th century Earth.)

[nerves_of_ice]

"This place sure has a lot of them."

He raises his cup of coffee in a salute of greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Thor. I'm Alex Lyle."

There's absolutely no sign of recognition in either tone or expression.

[makesthings]

The lion is unexpected but the person the lion was before kind of felt powerful and Sameth is curious.

He flies over, giving the lion space because he remembers how Yrael was and croaks, he really should have done more for sounds on this frog.

[mjolnir_retriever]

"Greetings," returns the lioness, courteously.

The Allspeech is not restricted to humanoid throats. It's handy!

[makesthings]

He understood, he didn't expect that and croaks which has a hello in it, this frog needed to be able to do more than fly and catch flies. Perhaps he can convince his mother to let him make some improvements on it.

[mjolnir_retriever]

Ah, so this is a patron. It smelled like there had been a human holding it recently, or something like that.

(Newly sharpened senses are weird, but also kinda cool.)

"I am Thor," he says. "Odinson."

[makesthings]

"Sameth, Wallmaker and Prince of the Old Kingdom," As a frog he can't bow, but the wings do his best approximation.

[howling_laugh]

A short time later, in said out-of-the-way corner, Mjölnir has a stalker.

Coyote watched Thor come in, transform, and wander off, leaving the hammer.

Since he was a total jerk about being able to fly, Coyote has no qualms about stealing this thing. Serves him right.

A lanky coyote creeps out of the shadows under a booth, winds through the crowd, and grabs the loop of the hammer with her teeth. Just drag it out of the way and she can-

Hm. It's heavier than she thought. Okay fine, small setback, you don't lose teeth trying to pick something up when you're human.

A human woman appears, glancing around quickly to make sure no one is outright staring at her. Then, she grabs the handle and hauls it up off the-

Oh come on. He was carrying it around like it was a feather, it can't be that heavy.

Lift with your knees, not with your back. Two hands set firmly. Deep breath. Okay, HEAVE-

What the fuck?! This should not be a matter of strength! Coyote can pick up motorcycles if she has a mind to. If this thing was too heavy, it'd go right through a table or chair!

She kicks it. It hurts her foot. Coyote hops up and down for a moment, cursing mightily.

Stupid hammer. She didn't want it anyway. A coyote slinks away. Nobody saw that.

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor, meanwhile, is outside. Gosh it's a nice night! It's pretty cool when you can smell lots of things on the breeze!

He's not worried about Mjölnir. He'll summon it if he needs to for some reason, and until then, nobody's gonna be able to bother it anyway.

[myshootingstar]

A rather sleek female panther pads over, sniffing curiously. "Hello friend."

[mjolnir_retriever]

The lioness sniffs back, companionably. (Thor does not ordinarily sniff people in greeting, in part because his sense of smell is no better than a human's anyway, but he has no reason not to listen to this body's instincts for stuff like that.)

The lioness smells faintly of electricity, for the record, and more faintly of the beer Thor was drinking before he transformed. His fur catches the light with a more concentrated golden gleam than is quite normal for Earth lions, too.

"Hello," he returns.

"Is this your usual shape?"

Friend could equally be a courteous term or an indication that he knows this person, for all that he doesn't immediately recognize the voice.

[myshootingstar]

"Not at all. I'm usually human but this is awesome!" Okay, so she's a little excitable by all this. And bouncy. The panther's instincts are all run and jump. "Does this happen here often? I've only just come here but this is fantastic."

[mjolnir_retriever]

The lioness settles back with what the feline version of a human's tolerant amusement -- ears canted, whiskers back, tail coiling around his paws for a moment.

"On occasion."

Every... is it every year? He's not totally sure. Years are an intermediate length of time that it's hard to keep track of, for Thor, even without Milliways-to-Asgard time differentials at play.

"Sometimes it's involuntary, sometimes by choice. Like this festival."

[myshootingstar]

"Someone said there's a mountain and lake outside. Are we allowed to go run around out there? I feel like this body wants to climb trees and stalk things."

[havetubawilltravel]

"Woaaaah!" Cue the impressed sounds of a surprised pony from nearby the fish tank.

[mjolnir_retriever]

The lioness turns his head to direct a genially self-satisfied look at her.

(In any form, Thor accepts astounding people as more or less his due.)

Hello, tiny... pink horse-type thing! Maybe she's one of Princess Luna's subjects.

[havetubawilltravel]

She is!

She's also very rarely afraid of anyone or anything, and is approaching full steam ahead. "I've met a lot of lone wolves, but a lone lion's brand new to me!"

Feline species in the Equestrian world are very rare. Excuse her intense interest!